VERSUS THE SCARECROW EPISODE 16: In 3d!?. I decided to challenge myself and really open the doors of my film knowledge and take on “The Scarecrow Video Movie Guide”. It’s 808 pages of movies and movie reviews from some of the most knowledgeable movie people you don’t know. It’s a book put together by a staff that praises, and destroys, some of our favorites and not so favorites. You can read the rest of my series here.
Just a quick refresher: each episode, I’m going to tackle three films from three different categories. Two films will be films I’ve never seen before and one will be one I’ve seen before or own. For the new films, well, new to me, I’m going to review them like a typical FTS review using the TOAST Rating system. But, for the films I’ve seen, I’m going give a quick paragraph or two about why I like or don’t like the film. We’ll try to include the poster and trailer for each film. “….and here. We. Go!”
Well, not really. But I have yet to talk about animated films on Versus the Scarecrow so I’m dedicating an entire episode to them! This week I’ll be taking a look at the whimsical odyssey that is Spirited Away, the surrealist stop-motion film Alice, and I’ll reflect on Katsuhiro Otomo’s groundbreaking film Akira.
Spirited Away (2001/2003) Directed by Hayao Miyazaki. Starring: Daveigh Chase, Suzanne Pleshette, and Susan Egan. IMDB says: “In the middle of her family’s move to the suburbs, a sullen 10-year-old girl wanders into a world ruled by gods, witches, and monsters; where humans are changed into animals; and a bathhouse for these creatures.”
“Finish what you started, human.”
Throughout this film I found myself asking over and over again, what the hell took me so long to see this movie?!?!! It reminded me of all my favorite animated films growing up as child. It had the sense of adventure like An American Tail yet a dark mystique about it like The Secret of NIMH. It’s an incredible tale of a Chihiro, a girl who gets separated from her parents and finds herself in the spirit world. From there, with the help of some unlikely friends (yeah that sounds cheesy but there is no other way to describe it) she must find a way to make it back to her parents, all while trying to survive the bustling atmosphere of a Spirit Bathhouse. It’s an intriguing and odd film with enough feeling to really resonate with you and move you to tears; I was surprisingly moved a couple times. I’d find myself thinking why? Why and I crying at a kids movie? It was at that point that I realized the story, combined with its breath-taking animation, it’s not your typical “kids animated movie”. It’s truly an animated film that I’m mad I’ve held off seeing until now.
The first thing you’ll notice when you watch the film is its animation. It’s so crisp, defined, intensely colorful, and engaging, that at times you may find yourself more focused on that than the story at hand (least that’s what happened to me). I cannot praise it’s animation enough, and at a budget of OVER A BILLION YEN, it’s money well spent. (For those wondering how much that equates to in US Dollars, you’re looking at roughly Twelve Million) It deserves all the awards it’s won, no questions asked. Animation aside, it’s next strong suit is it’s story. Yeah, at times the main character Chihiro, voiced by Daveigh Chase (aka Lilo) in the American dub, is annoying because it feels like she only knows one volume level: unnecessarily loud. But, she shines through when it counts, really making those emotional moments that much stronger. Throughout much of the film Chihiro is helped out by Lin (voiced by Susan Egan in the American Dub) a bathhouse attendant who has the same smugness about her as Meg from Hercules. Wait.. what? You’re telling me those two characters are voiced by the same actress? Well job well done then, because she brings a essence to both character that helps her stand out, yet no over take the film. The score accompanies the film beautifully and really adds to scenes like the train ride and most of the panning shots showcasing the Spirit Bathhouse.
As if you couldn’t guess, I can’t recommend it enough. There are humans, spirits, talking frogs, grumbling heads, a big baby, a creepy lady that looks like Kotake and/or Koume from The Legend of Zelda Ocarina of Time, and dragons!! Kinda. They look more like Falcor but with a dragons face… that’s not the point. The point is, throw this to the top of your Netflix queue, borrow it from a friend, just find a way to get your hands on this masterpiece and watch it.
Check back tomorrow to read my review of Alice and then again on Thursday for the conclusion of episode 16 with my reflections on Akira. If you're interested in more, you can find the rest of the Versus The Scarecrow series here.